not in love

i am not in love
—that's a rookie mistake, actually
love is a bright-window shop at night
with its door closed
the yellow light makes you shimmer
but face the camera towards it
and you won't even see yourself

i am not in love
that's a decision that requires a little
more than just a wink
and don't confuse the sudden
shifting, the turning upside down
for love when
it might just be you stomaching the bitterness
of your coffee

i am not in love
it's not a place i'm allowed in
i'm always a little to the left of it
but i appreciate your attempts to keep me in frame

but sometimes i could pretend
just angle my heart with the minute hand of the clock
one hand out to catch your hand
the other hand on your hand on your heart
we'll turn into birds at sunset and go
break through the glass rim of each other's eyes
just the way my mind likes it
just the way my heart gossips

surely
i am not in love
the house that is always crying
for somebody to be in it
to feel its own weight sailing at last